Kaiser covered prenatal chiropractic care?
Hi All,
I'm 33 weeks pregnant and hoping to see a chiropractor for some prenatal care for various aches and pains (namely, "pelvic girdle pain"). I've found just a couple of practitioners in the area that specialize in prenatal care, but they are all really over my price range for out of pocket (not to mention hard to get an appointment). I'm wondering if anyone has experience using the chiropractors in Kaiser's network (ASHLink) and specifically if anyone can recommend someone in the network that is experienced working with pregnant women? Might be a long shot, but I thought I would float the question out there.
I'd also be open to or grateful for suggestions of the same for prenatal acupuncture care. We are located in Albany, so somewhere in or around Berkeley would be ideal, but I'm will to travel within a reasonable distance in the East Bay.
Thank you!
Parent Replies
I was told by my Kaiser OB that Kaiser only covers chiropractic care if you've been complaining of pain for 6+ months (which doesn't seem that helpful for pregnant women). I ended up going out of network, but felt great improvement after just 2 sessions so wasn't too much financial burden and her prices seemed pretty reasonable. I'd highly recommend Dr Ameneh (https://www.claremontfamilychiro.com/). She specializes in prenatal and was wonderful.
I've been seeing Dr. Verma at Oakbay Chiropractic for years, including throughout my pregnancy. He's got 3 kids of his own (one about 6 months old) and was knowledgeable about a pregnant woman's body. He takes my Kaiser insurance, and he practices Active Release Therapy (soft tissue work).
I used Diana Anfang in Berkeley during my pregnancy and she was great. Takes Kaiser too!
Do you have supplemental medical through your work? That really helps. I had Kaiser insurance, but also supplemental medical that covered chiropractic as KP technically does not cover it. This allowed me to see Dr. Ariel at Flow Chiropractic in Berkeley who is a specialist in prenatal chiro care. My supplemental paid 80% after the $100 deductible which made each session like $14 which to me was very reasonable. She also offers payment packages that allow you to buy a block of care fairly affordably if that's an option for you.
I am not sure if they take kaiser pay but I would highly recommend Peter https://m.yelp.com/biz_redir?link_source=yelp_app&s=8c994b8eb614f6e05c15bdcc452cd2057de495d4f2442b091c1a3320a2b63111&src_bizid=fUpSnDHe14eciVjMsVHuEQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.leopoldchiropractic.com&website_link_type=website for chiropractic care. He is amazing and very knowledgeable. He approaches chiropractic care from a different angle than most chiropractors. He really addresses the underlying issues rather than a quick fix. I had hip issues and the main problem was the way I was walking was causing weakness in my ankle which caused hip issues. He also always calls to check up on you. I am sure he can work something out with you if he doesn’t take your plan
For acupuncture Camille from Honeycomb acupuncture is top notch
fixed me many times with many issues
check her out
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I saw Brian Barlay (www.BrianBarlay.com) in Temescal when I had Kaiser. At the time he was on the Kaiser "list" and I was successful in getting a referral for back pain -- apparently Kaiser is stingy with the chiro referrals. I don't know if Brian is still on their list but I saw him all though my first pregnancy and he was very helpful.
If you want to explore paying out of pocket -- I agree with another poster that it might only take a session or two -- then the best chiropractor I've ever seen is Robert Zeiger on Telegraph in Berkeley. He's kind of a magician but I don't think he takes any insurance.
Hi again, I am the person who recommended Brian Barlay and Robert Zeiger. Just to clarify: these two are acupuncturists NOT chiropractors. Please ignore my reference to chiropractors.
I can't speak to Kaiser coverage but I paid out of pocket when covered by Anthem to go see Kenda at Awaken Chiropractic on Grand Ave. It was the only thing that helped with the significant pelvic girdle pain I was experiencing (specifically: pubic symphasis dysfunction) from pregnancy. Kenda is amazing and she is worth paying out of pocket, and waiting the month plus for the first appointment. Awaken Chiropractic focuses on family care. Pregnant women, and then children and families once the baby is born. At first I didn't want to wait so long to see someone, so I tried seeing another prenatal chiropractor who had more appointments available - but discontinued that once I started with Kenda because she made a noticeable difference in the problem.
Just wanted to say thank you to everyone for the thoughtful and helpful responses!